Not applicable.
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective covers for use in facilitating containment of foreign materials. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention concern wheel covers that are effective in substantially preventing foreign material, with which a wheelchair may come into contact, from contaminating surfaces and/or harming persons that the wheelchair wheels may contact.
2. Related Technology
Wheelchairs provide an important degree of freedom to those who might otherwise be confined to a bed or stationary chair. Without wheelchairs, such persons would be heavily reliant on the availability of another person, or persons, to assist them in reaching a particular destination and/or performing a particular task that requires a certain degree of mobility. Depending upon their relative health and physical condition, some users may only require the use of a wheelchair for a short period of time, while others with more specialized needs may be confined to a wheelchair indefinitely. In either case, wheelchair users face a variety of unique challenges and obstacles.
Many of the challenges faced by wheelchair users relate to the locations and environments in which such users are compelled to operate their wheelchairs. For example, a typical wheelchair user may operate his or her wheelchair in public buildings, private buildings, parks, parking lots, sidewalks and streets. When outside, wheelchair users often confront a variety of weather conditions including rain, snow, slush, and hail, as well as various weather related conditions such as puddles and mud.
Of particular concern to many users are the various foreign and hazardous materials with which the wheelchair wheels typically come into contact when the wheelchair is used outside. Materials frequently encountered by wheelchair users include, among other things, gum, animal waste, nails, glass, staples, food, dirt, water, mud, tar, gasoline, and oil. While such materials can often be readily avoided by pedestrians, the relatively limited mobility and maneuverability of a person in a wheelchair often makes such unpleasant encounters inevitable for him or her.
Encounters with materials such as those enumerated above are problematic for a variety of reasons. This is due in large part to the fact that many wheelchair users use their hands to rotate, and brake, the wheels of the wheelchair, so as to control the speed and direction of travel of the wheelchair. As the result of such contact with the wheels however, the hands of the user frequently come into direct contact with the materials over which, or through which, the wheels have passed. Thus, encounters with animal waste, for example, pose a significant health risk to the user of the wheelchair.
Other materials pose a threat to the user as well. For example, sharp objects such as nails, glass, or staples may become embedded in the tread and/or sidewalls of the wheelchair wheels. Such embedded objects can cause cuts and bruises on the hands of the user, and may also contribute to infections and other conditions. Materials such as food and gum may also pose a health hazard to the user because they typically contain a variety of germs as a result of their contact with the ground. Food and gum are also problematic because they impair the operation of the wheelchair by causing the hands of the user to stick to the wheels.
While materials encountered by wheelchair users present a variety of serious concerns for such users, those materials pose other problems as well. For example, when a wheelchair user desires to enter a hospital, care facility, house, or other building, it is typically the case that at least some of the materials present on the wheels of the wheelchair are deposited on the floors, carpets, and/or walls of the building as the user maneuvers and/or propels his or her wheelchair. The presence of such materials is particularly problematic in buildings such as hospitals and care facilities where maintenance of cleanliness and sanitary conditions is of paramount importance.
Furthermore, removing materials such as gum or oil, for example, from carpeting or floors can be expensive and time consuming. Similarly, sharp objects, such as glass and nails, embedded in the wheels of the wheelchair, may damage wood and vinyl flooring materials, necessitating expensive repairs, or replacement.
Additionally, because small children and pets may have relatively more intimate contact with floors and carpeting than would an adult, such children and pets may be more likely to come into contact with foreign matter deposited by the wheels of the wheelchair. As noted earlier, contact with such foreign matter can cause infections and injuries, among other things.
In view of the foregoing problems, and others, a need exists for a wheel cover that is effective in substantially containing foreign materials present on, or in, the wheel with which the cover is employed, and that can be readily attached to, and removed from, the wheel. Further, the wheel cover should also be able to substantially prevent foreign materials from contacting the wheel.
The present invention has been developed in response to the current state of the art, and in particular, in response to these and other problems and needs that have not been fully or adequately addressed. Briefly summarized, embodiments of the present invention provide a wheel cover that substantially contains foreign matter present in or on the covered wheel so as to prevent injury to the user and to reduce the incidence of infections, damage, and other undesirable consequences resulting from the presence of such foreign matter.
Embodiments of the present invention are particularly well suited for use in conjunction with the wheels of a wheelchair. However, embodiments of the present invention are likewise suitable for use in any application where it is desired to contain foreign matter present on one or more wheels of a wheeled vehicle or similar device that may operate both indoors and outdoors and/or that may require physical contact between a person and the wheels of the device.
In one embodiment of the invention, a wheel cover made of durable nylon fabric is provided that is dimensioned so as to enclose a substantial portion of the tread and sidewalls of the wheel to which the wheel cover is intended to be attached. The wheel cover includes a cover portion to which a plurality of straps, each having first and second ends, are attached. The respective first ends of the straps are attached to a first edge of the cover portion. The respective second ends of the straps are configured to be removably attached to a second edge of the cover portion by, for example, a hook-and-loop type fastening system. In this way, the wheel covers can be readily attached to the wheels of the wheelchair, prior to entering or exiting, as applicable, a building for example, and can be readily removed from the wheels upon exiting or entering, as applicable, the building.
The cover portion of the wheel cover includes inner and outer surfaces. A barrier interposed between the inner surface and the tread and sidewalls of the wheel serves to facilitate containment of foreign material present on the wheels, and thereby prevents contamination of, or harm to, persons or surfaces with which an outer surface of the wheel cover comes into contact. When used in an alternative manner, the wheel cover prevents foreign material from contacting the wheel so that when the wheel cover is removed, the wheel is clean and thus poses no threat of damage or injury to any persons or surfaces with which the wheel may subsequently come into contact.
Additionally, the nylon is substantially puncture resistant and thus serves to prevent sharp objects embedded in the wheels from damaging floors and walls and/or injuring the user. The outer surface of the wheel cover includes a plurality of lateral seams that facilitate traction and maneuverability of the wheelchair when the wheel cover passes over smooth surfaces.
Other exemplary features of embodiments of the present invention pertain to the fabric construction of the wheel covers. For example, because the wheel covers may be made of a flexible nylon material, the wheel covers are not injurious to easily damaged materials such as wood or vinyl flooring. Further, the flexibility of the nylon wheel covers permits them to be folded and compactly stowed in a suitable location, and also allows the wheels of the wheelchair to roll readily along a variety of surfaces. Finally, the fabric construction of the wheel covers permits them to be readily laundered or otherwise cleaned.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims.